Heroin dealer caught in the act remanded on bail

A heroin dealer and addict who was caught red-handed in a car with nearly €2,000 worth of the drug, is finding it difficult to kick the habit himself and faces sentence next month if he does not get himself ‘clean’ of the drug by then.

Keith Morkan (44), of 5 St Brendan’s Avenue, Woodquay, pleaded guilty before Galway District Court last February to having €1,900 worth of heroin in his possession for sale or supply to others when searched at Galway Garda Station on August 22, 2013.

Morkan was in a car with two other known drug users when it was stopped by Gardai and searched. He admitted straight away he had the heroin to sell to the others.

Defence solicitor, Sean Acton, told the court in February that Morkan had a chronic heroin addiction for eight years and was one of the first intravenous heroin and crack cocaine users in Galway, ingesting €100 worth of the drugs every day.

The father of one developed numerous abscesses, before deciding to get ‘clean’ and was on a methadone treatment programme and doing quite well with the help of the relevant HSE services, Mr Acton told the court in February.

A HSE report confirming that was handed into court at the time.

Reading the report, Judge Denis McLoughlin said Morkan appeared to be making quite considerable progress and he was delighted for him because the way he had been going would not have had a happy ending.

The judge said he was aware that people on methadone could do community service.

The judge remanded him on bail to April 15 to give the probation service time to assess his suitability to carry out community service. If deemed suitable, the Judge directed Morkan carry out the maximum of 240 hours of community service in lieu of a 10-month prison sentence.

The matter was further adjourned in April to last week’s court, as Morkan continued to struggle with the rehabilitation process.

Mr Acton told Judge Mary Fahy last week that according to an up-to-date report from the HSE, Morkan needed to stabilise before the matter could be finalised.

Judge Fahy warned Mr Acton that his client was on his last chance until July and that if he was deemed unsuitable then by the probation service, either she or Judge McLoughlin would deal with sentence.

She then remanded Morkan on continuing bail to July 8 for an up-to-date HSE report.